Day centres are a lifeline (From Halesowen News)

Day centres are a lifeline

4:49pm Thursday 21st January 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

Does anyone care about the happiness of people with a learning disability?

Dudley Council has made the decision to close day centres, where anyone with a learning disability is able to go during the week in order to make friends and live a normal life.

By having the day centre, we, the parents, can guarantee our children are warm, safe and happy.

The council wants them to hire their own carers in order to take them out. The carers won’t know their personalities, habits or individual disabilities and our children would be unfamiliar with them.

In addition, the council wants them to open their own bank account, in order to pay carers’ wages, income tax and national insurance. They must also keep any receipts from days out and yet some of struggle writing their name. How is this possible?

Is money so important the council has to take away the friendships they have gathered and treasured after so many years?

I’m not the only one who is upset. All of the parents are in agreement that this is wrong and fear the safety of our children.

JW Cooksey, Halesowen

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)